Collin County is trying to keep up with rapid growth and has a bond election scheduled in early November — but it might not be enough.
The bond package includes about $683 million, with a huge chunk — $380 million — that would go toward improving county roads that are being overloaded by the county’s exploding population. But most of the Collin County bond committee, which made recommendations to county commissioners, says $380 million for roads isn’t enough.
The committee chair, Rusty Glover, said all but two of the bond committee members voted to recommend that the commissioners raise the bond amount for roads to $600 million, which would have made the bond total $1 billion.
“That need is just going to continue to grow year after year after year, and we're going to be behind that,” Glover said.
Collin County has a population of more than one million and is the third-fastest developing county in the nation, according to the U.S. Census. That means more cars on county roads that weren’t designed to handle a lot of traffic.
More people also means a rising need for government services. The rest of the bond would pay for expanding or adding facilities, like a new medical examiner’s office and additions to the animal shelter. There’s also more than $260 million to expand the jail, courthouse and juvenile justice facility.
The commissioners didn’t follow the committee’s suggestion to increase the bond’s funding for road improvements. County Judge Chris Hill said the county’s property taxes are already expected to increase this year to pay for the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.
The court recently approved a tax rate of about 15 cents per $100 of a home’s value. That’s means the average homeowner in Collin County could see an $85 dollar increase in their property tax bill from the county once commissioners approve the final budget in early September.
Hill suggested moving the money for the animal shelter and some parks to the road projects. He argued that those items included services cities should provide if there’s a need – like an animal shelter.
“I think they ought to look to their own their own citizens to provide that rather than the entire county,” Hill said.
Frisco and McKinney don’t have city shelters like Plano does. They rely on their partnership with Collin County Animal Services. Frisco’s committee for the bond election last May recommended adding funding for a city shelter to the bond, but the city council decided against that.
Marla Fields from Frisco’s Pet Project said council members think Frisco doesn’t have a big enough animal problem to build its own shelter.
“They feel like that the shelter's doing just fine and it's not,” Fields said. “And we've been telling them that for years.”
Fields also said the Collin County Animal Shelter has been overcrowded for more than a decade.
The $5.7 million would double the shelter’s size — right now, it’s 10,000 square feet. It’d also pay for a cat quarantine room and clinic with two surgery bays. But the construction wouldn’t finish Feb. 2027 if the bond passes. Animal advocates are urging the county to add more spay and neuter programs in the meantime to help lower the shelter’s population.
The bond election is scheduled for Nov. 7. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 10, and the last day to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 27.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For Americacorps member for KERA News.
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